Labour should take stand on divorce – Borg Olivier

The Labour Party ought to take a stand on divorce, an issue brought to the fore by one of its MPs, Evarist Bartolo, Nationalist Party general secretary Paul Borg Olivier insisted yesterday.

“For a party which, in its general conference a week ago, chose the slogan For Our Children To Have A Country They Deserve, it should discuss divorce and the Private Member’s Bill, presented by one of its MPs, and take a stand on the issue,” he told party supporters in St Paul’s Bay.

He said he was proud the PN had discussed the matter extensively and came out against divorce, which was consistent with its primary value of being a party that was pro-family. “We believe divorce is not a solution for those families facing problems,” he insisted.

“We don’t mind discussing issues on which people have differing opinions because we are a party that respects diversity. The Labour Party is only interested in taking us back to the 1970s and 1980s and, then, such an issue is not discussed. It cannot wait until after the election to take a stand. It has to do it now,” he said.

On this point, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the PN had “stood up to be counted” on the divorce issue, taking a clear stand it felt was best.

The divorce issue was not one about religion but one which involved values. For him, as a politician, his first duty was to ensure families remained strong and united and to help those whose marriage had broken down.

The PN had stood up to be counted on divorce, while the PL, perhaps because it was ashamed, had not.

Dr Borg Olivier compared Labour to a person sitting on a fence telling a farmer which fruit he had to pick. The PN was the farmer, soiling its hands and getting things done.

Referring to criticism by Labour leader Joseph Muscat over the possibility that a referendum on divorce will not be held, Dr Borg Olivier said it was Dr Muscat himself who, in August 2008, had said a referendum would be a waste of time.

Dr Gonzi said, for the PN, the priority was to give Maltese families and, especially, the children a good, sustainable future.

He explained that none of the 69 MPs had the mandate to introduce divorce and that was why the government would propose an amendment ensuring a referendum would be held if the Bill was approved by Parliament. He said for any issue to go for a referendum there was the need for a resolution by Parliament.

The meeting was also addressed by Nationalist MP Karl Gouder, who, during PN executive committee meetings on the issue, spoke in favour of the introduction of divorce. He said he was proud to be part of a party where everyone’s opinion was respected and taken into account.